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JOURNEYS OF 
JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 













Misty, the Blue Heron 



Journeys of 
Johnny Jackrabbit 


By 

MARY CRAIG HARRIS* 


Author of 

Adventiires of Johnny Jackrabbit 


Illustrated by 
THE AUTHOR • 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY 


PUBLISHERS 


Copyright 1921 

Jhe Bobbs-Merrill Companx 



Printed in the United States of America 



mtsa or 

BRAUNWORTH B CO. 
BOOK manufacturers 
BROOKLYN. N. Y. 

OCT 24 1921 


0)CLA624929 


CONTENTS 


Chapteb Page 

I A Disagkeeable Day 1 

II The Sahd-Stokm 22 

III The Joitehey to Eocky Eidge . 36 

IV The Teeeible Weasel .... 54 
V The Jotjehey to the Lowland . 72 

VI The Wintee Stoems 93 

VII Pleasant Days along the Eivee 114 




JOURNEYS OF 
JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


t- 


Journeys of 
Johnny Jackrabbit 

CHAPTER I 

A DISAGREEABLE DAY 

AGAIN we meet our friend, Johnny 
Jackrabbit, — not the lonely, fright- 
ened little fellow we found at the be- 
ginning of Adventures of Johnny 
Jackrabbit; but a full-grown, healthy, 
happy Johnny who has met, or 
avoided, so many of his neighbors 
that he has grown quite confident of 
his ability to take care of himself. 

Johnny Jackrabbit started, in a 
cheerful frame of mind, on one of his 
delightful little journeys; but, after 
1 


2 


JOURNEYS OF 


a call on Cousin Jenny, he began to 
look worried, and to hop about un- 
easily. Jenny was usually a very 
cheerful companion; and the con- 
versation had started pleasantly. 
Johnny listened while she told how 
Pirate the Great Hawk had carried 
off one Squirrel after another until 
two whole families had been exter- 
minated. That was news; and Johnny 
always enjoyed hearing the news, — 
as does any wide-awake Jackrabbit. 

“And,” continued Jenny, “we shall 
feel their loss greatly; for they added 
much to our social life. Of course you 
know they were descendants of Chris- 
topher Adolphus Squirrel, — one of 
the first to settle on this part of the 
Desert.” 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 3 

So far, Johnny agreed; but she con- 
tinued: “Johnny, you ought to think 
of some way to rid the Mesa of Pirate 
and that last brood of hers.” 

Right there, Johnny Jackrabbit 
began to feel uneasy; but he only 
shook his head, wiggled his nose, 
cocked his ears at different angles, 
and seemed lost in deep thought; 
while Cousin Jenny watched him in 
admiration, — for Johnny could as- 
sume a look of great wisdom. 

Finally he stood up and looked 
across to where Pirate, perched on a 
tall mesquite tree, waited silently for 
another Ground Squirrel to appear. 
After looking at Pirate with a long, 
steady gaze, Johnny dropped back on 
all four feet, and said: “Really, 


4 


JOURNEYS OP 


Cousin, I have never before given 
Pirate much serious thought; and 
you must admit that your idea is a 
new one. As you know, our family 
never has been war-like. In fact, we 
have always trusted to strong legs, 
rather than strong claws, sharp 
teeth, and loud voices.” 

“But, Johnny, surely you can think 
of some way!” persisted Cousin 
Jenny. 

“Now, Cousin,” interrupted 
Johnny, “I really must take some 
time to think this matter over, and 
observe the habits of Pirate more 
closely. Good-by for to-day! When 
I see you again, I shall let you know 
what I decide to do.” 

Johnny said the last words over his 


JOHNNY JACKEABBIT 5 

shoulder as he turned away. He hur- 
ried until he was well out of sight of 
J enny. Then he sat down in the shade 
of a cactus, looked carefully about 
him, and drew a long breath. 

“Why can’t she let me alone!” he 
grumbled. “I didn’t make the Desert 
nor the People who live on it. I am 
going over to see Jolly and Speedy 
Squirrel. They won’t bother a fel- 
low.” 

But when he reached Squirrel 
Knoll, he found Jolly and Speedy 
greatly excited. They were sitting 
just outside their door, and both were 
talking at once. When Johnny heard 
them, he stopped, and was about to 
creep back among the bushes when 
Jolly spied him and called: 


6 


JOURNEYS OF 


“Oh, Johnny, you are just the one 
we were wishing- to see. Of course 
you’ve heard what Pirate has done?” 

Johnny immediately saw that he 
had made a mistake in coming to 
Squirrel Knoll seeking peace and 
quiet. 

“You see we are all descendants of 
Christopher Adolphus Squirrel, — one 
of the Earliest Settlers on this part of 
the Desert,” explained Speedy, draw- 
ing herself up proudly. 

“How did that Ancestor of yours 
happen to come here to make a 
home?” inquired Johnny hastily, fear- 
ing that either Jolly or Speedy would 
suggest that he rid the Mesa of Pi- 
rate. “I’ll keep them talking of this 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


7 


Christopher Adolphus,” thought 
Johnny wisely. 

“Why, bless my whiskers!” gasped 
Jolly. 

“Don’t you know the history of the 
Desert Ground Squirrel Family?” 
cried Speedy. 

“No, Speedy,” said Johnny meekly, 
“no one ever told it to me.” 

“Well! Well!” murmured Jolly. 

“Every one ought to know at least 
that part of our history,” said Speedy. 
“Now, of course, all that I am about 
to tell you happened many, many 
years ago. At that time, our Ances- 
tors lived away to the southeast of 
the Mesa, in a broad, level Valley, 
that my Great-Great-Grandmother 


8 


JOURNEYS OF 


used to tell me was covered with high, 
thick grass; and their home was 
under tall trees beside a River.” 

“Where is that Valley?” inquired 
Johnny, becoming quite interested. 
“I’d like to take a run down to it, and 
eat some of the grass.” 

“As I said, it was a very great dis- 
tance from here,” said Speedy primly. 
“Of course, as my Great-Great- 
Grandmother said, one might think 
that the grass, the trees, and the 
River would have made it just the 
right kind of a place for Ground 
Squirrels to live in; but those were 
the very reasons why the Squirrels 
who lived there were so uncomfort- 
able. They never felt safe for one 
minute; and you see they could not 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 9 

be happy when they were always in 
danger.” 

“What was there to frighten 
them?” asked Johnny Jackrabbit. 
“Didn’t they dig into the ground, just 
as you and all of your relatives do 
on the Mesa?” 

“Of course. They dug long, deep 
tunnels, just as all Ground Squirrels 
do,” cried Jolly. 

“Now don’t interrupt, and I’ll tell 
you why they were never safe in that 
beautiful Valley,” said Speedy, impa- 
tiently. “Many Birds came to the 
River to drink, and a great many of 
them remained, and made their nests 
in the grass, or in the tree-tops. The 
Coyotes and Foxes came to drink, 
and to catch an occasional Bird. The 


10 


JOUKNEYS OF 


Great Bob Cats came down to the 
stream, and some of them liked the 
trees so well that they stayed, sleep- 
ing and spending the most of their 
time there. Then there were the 
Badgers, Raccoons, and Skunks.” 
Speedy stopped for breath. 

“Now, Johnny Jackrabbit, don’t 
you see what an awful place that 
was?” cried Jolly. “Besides all those 
Creatures that Speedy has spoken of, 
there were the great King Snakes 
that might glide into one’s home at 
any moment, and devour all the little 
Ground Squirrels, and any grown 
ones that could not get away quickly.” 

“You see,” resumed Speedy, “with 
Coyotes, Foxes, Badgers, Raccoons, 
Skunks, Bob Cats, King Snakes — ” 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 11 

“And big Hawks, and Owls!” cried 
Jolly. 

“Oh, yes,” said Speedy, “many 
Hawks and Owls came there to live, 
or just to perch in the trees; and 
every one of all those Creatures was 
on the watch for the poor Ground 
Squirrels. In fact the Squirrels were 
watched so closely, and were so 
frightened that it was a long time be- 
fore they dared to get together, and 
talk their troubles over, and form 
some plan to prevent the great Birds 
and Beasts from devouring them all. 

“At last, when he could not stand 
it any longer, Christopher Adolphus 
Squirrel, one of the largest Ground 
Squirrels along the River, at great 
risk of his life, went from house to 


12 


JOURNEYS OF 


house, and asked all his near neigh- 
bors to come to a meeting at his home 
the next day. When the day came, 
many Squirrels reached his home 
safely; but, on their way, several were 
caught by Hawks and other Enemies. 

“At the meeting, it was decided to 
leave the Valley, and go away to a 
safer place, — if such a place could be 
found; and, because Christopher 
Adolphus was trusted by all who 
knew him, they decided that he must 
find a suitable place, and that they 
would follow where he led them. 

“The day after the meeting, Chris- 
topher Adolphus started out very 
early, and was gone so long that, 
when he did return, his friends and 
relatives had given him up for dead. 


JOHNNY JACKEABBIT 13 

“Then there was great hurrying 
and scurrying from door to door to 
spread the good news, — ^that Chris- 
topher Adolphus had found the very 
place for a safe home for his remain- 
ing neighbors. Not many days later, 
Mr. Badger and the Great Hawks 
watched and watched in vain near the 
old Squirrel homes. And while they 
watched, out beyond the trees and the 
tall grass, on the sloping side of the 
Mesa, five families of Ground Squir- 
rels worked from daylight until dark 
to complete their new homes.” 

“I thought you said they settled on 
the Mesa!” cried Johnny Jackrabbit, 
when Speedy again paused for 
breath. 

“I did! I did! I’m coming to that!” 


14 


JOURNEYS OF 


answered Speedy, impatiently. “They 
made homes, and stayed many 
months on the steep, sloping side of 
the Mesa; but, although fewer of 
their Enemies found them during 
that time, they were far from safe 
even there, because many Animals, 
going to and from the River, passed 
that way, and every few days one of 
the Squirrels was missed, and never 
seen again. Finally, Christopher 
Adolphus found a much safer place 
some distance back on the Mesa; and 
again the little colony moved. 

“From that time, our People have 
spread clear across the high, dry 
ground, where the trees are low and 
far apart, and the grass is short. 
Here we have a good chance to see an 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


15 


Enemy, and to run into our homes be- 
fore he is upon us. 

“Christopher Adolphus was a very 
wise Squirrel,” concluded Speedy; 
“but he was finally killed by a Hawk, 
— probably a relative of this Pirate.” 

Johnny did not remain long on the 
Knoll, after Speedy had finished her 
story. “It is too warm to listen to 
tales of troubles,” he muttered. 
“Why, until two hours ago, this day 
was perfect; but now, even the Sun 
has blood in his eye; and I’ll bet we 
have a big wind before night.” 

Johnny found an interesting place 
in the shade of a low bush, and there 
he stretched out on the warm sand. 
As the day advanced, the air grew 
hotter and hotter; and he gave him- 


16 


JOURNEYS OF 


self up to the Drowsy Spirit that 
brooded over the Desert, and lay doz- 
ing in the shadow. 

Sometime late in the afternoon, he 
was aroused by the loud voices of the 
Hawk family, at their home of sticks 
in the top of the Great Sahuaro. 
Johnny sat up quickly. 

“Ah-ha!” he thought, “Old Pirate 
has got tired of feeding those raven- 
ous Children of hers.” 

“Come over here!” commanded Pi- 
rate, in her harsh voice, from her 
perch on a tall bush near the Sahuaro. 
“You can fly if you will do as I tell 
you to. Jim, you are the largest; you 
must be the first to try your wings.” 

The other Hawks stood watching 
Jim closely. They had all passed the 







Jolly and Speedy Squirrel 




JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 17 

age when a young Hawk sits on his 
elbows, and uses his bony wings to 
support himself on either side. For 
many days, they had been spreading 
and flapping their big wings in the 
hot sunshine. 

Now, all together, the four raised 
on their feet, with their great wings 
spread and stretched high above their 
heads. Johnny looked toward Pirate, 
and saw that she, too, was standing 
in the same position, with her great 
wings spread, and held high above 
her. As he looked. Pirate flapped her 
wings; and the Children flapped 
theirs— at first moving them slowly, 
then faster and faster until Johnny 
could hear their beating on the air. 

Then all was still, and the Hawks 


JOURNEYS OF 


18 

sat with wings spread in the sun- 
shine. The hotter the Sun heats on a 
Hawk’s unprotected head, the better 
he seems to like it. 

“Now, Jim,” called Pirate, “fly to 
me, or I shall not feed you another 
Rabbit.” 

And, while his Mother threatened, 
and his Brothers shamed him, Jim 
sprang out from the nest, and, flap- 
ping frantically, alighted, not on the 
tall bush beside his Mother, but on a 
low bush some distance from the 
Sahuaro. With loud rejoicing. Pirate 
left her perch and flew high into the 
air, circling over her Children. 
Finally, she tipped, shot straight 
downward, and alighted softly on the 
very limb she started from. 


JOHNNY JACKRABBrr 19 

“And that is the family Cousin 
Jenny wants me to get rid of!” mut- 
tered Johnny, turning quietly to hop 
out of sight under the greasewood. 
“In a few days, that whole flock will 
be out here hunting Rabbits.” 

When the copper Sun hangs far up 
in the Sky, few Creatures willingly 
leave the thin shade of the desert 
trees and bushes; but Johnny Jack- 
rabbit, whose delight it was to pass 
such hot afternoons lying flat in the 
deepest shade he could And, hurried 
frantically eastward, keeping close 
to the bushes. 

“I shall keep out of Cousin Jenny’s 
way,” he thought, “until those Hawks 
have left their home, and have scat- 
tered over the Desert.” 


20 


JOURNEYS OF 


“Now what can be the trouble with 
Johnny Jackrabbit?” asked a little 
Inca Dove of her mate when they saw 
Johnny hurrying along over the hot 
ground. 

“I’d like to know; but it is too hot 
to follow him,” cooed Mr. Inca Dove, 
from his perch in a shady bush. “Rab- 
bits are very, silly things, and often 
get excited at nothing at all. I don’t 
believe there is another Creature 
moving at this hour.” 

“My dear, you have been asleep, or 
you would have heard Pirate and her 
family screaming at one another a 
while ago,” said Mrs. Inca Dove. “Do 
you suppose they frightened 
Johnny?” 

“No,” answered her mate more 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 21 

firmly than usual, “and I don’t intend 
to have my midday nap spoiled by a 
long-legged Jackrabbit, who goes 
tearing by in the heat. Now let’s go 
to sleep again.” 

By the time he had stopped talking, 
Mr. Inca Dove’s dainty little gray 
head was nodding; and, after watch- 
ing closely for a while, and not seeing 
or hearing anything but swaying 
bushes, Mrs. Inca Dove dozed; and 
Johnny Jackrabbit was forgotten. 


CHAPTER II 

THE SAND-STORM 

JOHNNY JACKRABBIT had 
started early one morning, and was 
far from his usual haunts when the 
hottest hours overtook him. Then he 
crept slowly into the shade of a mes- 
quite, one of the largest trees on the 
Mesa, and stretched out, with his big 
ears lying back along his neck and 
shoulders, and his strong back legs 
in position to start him forward with 
a long jump should an Enemy come 
suddenly upon him. 

For more than an hour, the air had 
been filled with that peculiar quality 
that all, who live on the Desert, recog- 
22 


JOHNNY JACKKABBIT 23 

nize as a warning that a great Sand- 
Storm is approaching. 

Johnny had not enjoyed his food 
that day, because the long weeks of 
drought had shriveled the young 
growth. Indeed, he had, for some 
time, been growing very thin, and 
did not have an extra ounce of fat 
on his whole body; but his muscles 
were strong, because he had spent 
many, long, weary hours searching 
for food, — and strong muscles were 
something Johnny Jackrabbit was 
proud to possess. 

As the day advanced, the air be- 
came so dry that Johnny lay with his 
eyes closed. A breathless calm, such 
as goes before a storm, hung over 
the Mesa; and the air was so full of 


24 


JOURNEYS OF 


electricity that every hair on John- 
ny’s body was ready to crackle at the 
slightest touch. 

“On such days as this,” he re- 
marked to Mrs. Horned Toad, who 
scurried into the shade beside him, “I 
feel sorry that my Ancestors chose to 
live on the Desert.” 

“You are very foolish,” declared 
Mrs. Horned Toad. “Except for an 
occasional Sand-Storm, I’d like to 
know where you could find another 
such warm, healthful climate. Now 
tell me: did you ever hear of a Horned 
Toad or a Jackrabbit, or a Lizard that 
had a weakness in his lungs or his 
liver?” 

Johnny could not say that he had. 
But that did not keep the sand out of 


JOHNNY JACKKABBIT 25 

his eyes; and he ventured to remark 
that he believed it quite as necessary 
for a Jackrabbit to have the use of his 
eyes, as his lungs or his liver. 

“Since you are in such a bad humor, 
Fll not remain under the same tree 
with you,” declared Mrs. Homed 
Toad, flirting the sand as she hastily 
moved away to lie in a bunch of 
grass, leaving Johnny to doze as best 
he could for the heat and dust. 

The Storm was approaching from 
the southeast; and it was not long 
until the air was fllled with particles 
of sand and dust, through which the 
Sun shone dimly, casting a weird yel- 
low light over everything; and a 
sound that, at first, was a low whis- 
per, became a distant roar of wind. 


26 JOURNEYS OF 

At a sudden movement of Mrs. 
Homed Toad, Johnny opened his 
eyes. He gave just one startled 
glance, sprang from under the mes- 
quite tree, and bounded away 
through the bushes, followed closely 
by Slippery the Coyote. 

Aided by the noise of the on-com- 
ing Storm, Slippery had crept so close 
that in one jump he could have 
reached Johnny. 

Just at first, Johnny sprang wildly; 
but he soon got his stride and headed 
straight into the Storm. He was 
going rapidly, paying close attention 
to Slippery, when another Coyote 
sprang out from behind a bush, and 
almost caught Johnny. 

When the second Coyote appeared. 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 27 

Johnny bounded yards to one side,, 
and settled down to a race for life. So 
long' as the race was between him and 
Slippery, it bade fair to be interest- 
ing, although it came at a bad time; 
but, with the Storm in his face and 
two Coyotes behind him, Johnny felt 
that those were the most serious mo- 
ments of his life. 

A Coyote is no mean hunter; but, 
when Johnny Jackrabbit settled down 
to business, — taking the long jumps 
for which he is famous, — ^the Coyotes 
soon became confused. Because the 
air was so full of sand, there were 
times that they could not see Johnny; 
and because the wind blew; so hard, 
they could not follow his scent. 
Usually he went straight ahead; but 


28 


JOURNEYS OF 


there were times when he jumped 
many feet aside; and then Slippery 
and his mate lost valuable time be- 
fore they could locate him again. 

It was only the middle of the after- 
noon; but the thick clouds of dust and 
sand obscured the Sun until it was 
almost as dark as night; and the wind 
swept across the Desert, twisting and 
lashing the bushes until it seemed 
that they must be torn out of the 
ground. 

Still, Johnny Jackrabbit managed 
to keep moving, because he knew that 
the Coyotes would overtake him if he 
stopped. When the wind blew the 
hardest, and he could gain but a few; 
inches at a time, he knew that it was 
making it hard for the Coyotes; and 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 29 

when the sand blew into his eyes, and 
blinded him, he trusted that the Co- 
yotes could see no better than he. 

Not until he reached the foot of 
bare Rocky Ridge, did Johnny stop. 
Then he crouched low, and tried to 
distinguish some familiar object; but, 
in the strange light, even the low 
brush, thrashing from side to side, 
looked weird and fearful. He could 
not see ten feet in any direction; and 
already the crash and roar of a Thun- 
der-Storm, such as follows right on 
the heels of a Sand-Storm, seemed to 
shake the ground. 

“I’ve got to find a place where I can 
hide until this is over,” sobbed 
Johnny, creeping along the Ridge, 
feeling for a shelter. “I must crawl 


80 


JOURNEYS OF 


up among the rocks. There isn’t any 
other way. Oh, dear!” he cried, when 
a fierce gust almost tore him out of 
the rough little crevice into which he 
had started to climb. 

He managed to keep from being 
swept off from the rocks; and, in a 
lull, he gained a narrow shelf just 
as the first great drops of rain began 
to fall. 

Creeping along, he found a hole 
leading back some distance. Nothing 
in Johnny’s life had been more wel- 
come than the jagged entrance to 
that dark hole! In he crept, shaking 
his long ears to rid them of rain and 
sand. The hole ran back a long way; 
but, after a few feet, it became so 
narrow that he could not go any 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 31 

farther. He sank down thankfully, 
and tried to close his poor smarting 
eyes, and forget the stinging 
scratches he had received from a 
cruel crucifixion thorn that he had 
stumbled against in his fiight. 

For hours he could see the constant 
flare of Lightning, and hear the 
crash and roar of the heavy Thunder. 
Then all became quiet; and he went 
right to sleep. 

It was morning before Johnny 
Jackrabbit squeezed through the 
small hole, and sat on the rocks out- 
side. The Coyotes had driven him far 
from his usual haunts; and, from 
where he sat on Rocky Ridge, he 
looked down on a part of the Desert 
that was well covered with large 


32 


JOURNEYS OF 


mesquite trees; not far away, he 
saw a number of tall cottonwood 
trees, and beyond them, the glint of 
running water. The rain had laid 
the dust and washed the air so clean 
that every object stood out distinctly. 

While he sat listening, the Sun 
peeped over the distant Mountains, 
and began to peer into every nook 
and crevice. The Desert Sun is very 
thorough, and never fails to look into 
a place because it has searched it well 
the day before. 

During the Sand-Storm, not a Bird 
could be seen. They had found shel- 
ter in all sorts of odd places, — in crev- 
ices in rocks; in holes beneath old 
twisted roots; in holes that the Wood- 
peckers had made in trees and in 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 33 

sahuaros; and on partly protected 
limbs. Now they appeared on all 
sides, and went singing and flitting 
about among the freshly washed 
branches. 

Everjdhing around him was beau- 
tiful; but Johnny felt a longing to be 
back on familiar ground; and when 
he left Rocky Ridge, instead of turn- 
ing toward the tall trees and the 
water, he hopped back toward the 
Mesa. 

The grass on the Lowland was not 
yet as dry as that on the Mesa; so 
he paused here and there to nibble 
as he went along; and, before eve- 
ning, he came to a well-kown path. 

“Why, Johnny Jackrabbit!” cried a 
familiar voice; and he turned to And 


34 


JOURNEYS OF 


his friend Fleetfoot sitting near by. 
“I met Mrs. Horned Toad, and she 
told me that the last time she saw 
you, two big Coyotes were chasing 
you. She felt sure that you would 
never again be seen on the Mesa!” 

Johnny told Fleetfoot about the 
hard time he had had, and showed her 
the long scratches on his side, and his 
eyes that were still red from the sand. 
After hearing all about his adven- 
ture, Fleetfoot said, “Well, I don’t see 
why you didn’t stay down there and 
explore the country. Did you say 
there were trees near Rocky Ridge?” 

“Yes; there were tall trees down 
there, Fleetfoot,” he told her, “and 
some of them were not like any we 
have here on the Mesa. They were 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 35 

covered with beautiful, shiny leaves 
that trembled and rustled in the 
breeze; and I distinctly saw water 
flowing beyond them. I must have 
been homesick to have come away so 
soon.” 

“I’ll go right back with you!” cried 
Fleetfoot eagerly. “Let’s start now!” 

Johnny thought a moment; then he 
shook his head, saying that, since he 
had returned, he must attend to some 
very important business; and they 
parted, agreeing to make a trip to 
Rocky Ridge at the earliest possible 
date. 


CHAPTER III 

THE JOURNEY TO ROCKY RIDGE 

WHEN Johnny Jackrabbit first re- 
turned to old friends and familiar 
places, he thought that, after a few 
days, he would go back to Rocky 
Ridge and explore the surrounding 
Desert. Many times a day, he 
thought of the tall trees with their 
shining, green leaves that shook and 
trembled in the wind, and the soft 
grass that was sweeter than the stiff 
bunch grass that grew on the Mesa. 
But time has a way of passing 
quickly, even on the Desert; and one 
week followed another until Summer 

36 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 37 

had chang’ed to Fall, and Fall had al- 
most turned to Winter. 

Finally the right sort of a day ar- 
rived: cool winds swept over the 
Mesa; and an occasional cloud scud- 
ded across the sky. Such days make 
Rabbits restless; and Johnny Jack- 
rabbit felt ready for an adventure 
when, hopping along a well-worn 
path, he met Fleetfoot, one of the 
very handsomest Jackrabbits on the 
Mesa. 

The wind whisked the bushes 
about, sending dry leaves pattering 
across the paths; and, for the pure 
delight they found in moving, Johnny 
and Fleetfoot scampered about, shak- 
ing their long ears, hopping and kick- 
ing. They even pretended to be 


38 


JOURNEYS OF 


afraid of a big round weed that came 
rolling and bumping toward them 
across a bare, wind-swept space. 
Johnny sat up and viewed it with 
mock horror, then fled through the 
bushes, followed by Fleetfoot, who 
did some fancy jumping. 

They were racing joyfully along, 
without a thought of anything un- 
pleasant, when they dashed around a 
large bush, and came face to face 
with two great, rusty-black Turkey 
Buzzards that stood on the ground, 
quarreling over a dead Snake. 

The Jackrabbits were not really 
afraid of the Buzzards, because a 
Buzzard is either too cowardly or too 
lazy to kill his prey, and will not mo- 
lest a living Creature. Mother Nature 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 39 

gave him great size and strength, the 
beak of a fierce Eagle, and talons that 
could strike death to a good-sized An- 
imal or Bird; but the Buzzard prefers 
to wait and watch from a great 
height. By and by he discovers a 
dead Creature, and settles down be- 
side it; and when he leaves it, there 
is nothing, except carefully picked 
bones, to mark the place where it 
died. 

When the Turkey Buzzard is sail- 
ing high in the sky, he is a stately 
Bird, and is one of the best of fliers; 
but on the ground,— especially if he is 
feeding, — ^he is one of the most repul- 
sive of Creatures. 

When those two Buzzards saw the 
Jackrabbits coming, they hastily 


40 


JOURNEYS OF 


spread their great, dirty-looking 
wings, and flew away; and Johnny 
and Fleetfoot cleared the Snake with 
a bound, and fled on through the 
bushes. 

“Ugh! How I detest Buzzards! 
And the sight of a Snake always 
makes me shiver!” cried Fleetfoot, 
racing along behind Johnny. 

“Then let’s forget all about them,” 
said Johnny. “I’ve got the very plan ! 
Let’s go to Rocky Ridge to-day.” And 
Johnny’s eyes began to shine at the 
prospect. 

“Rocky Ridge, to-day?” asked 
Fleetfoot, stopping short to consider. 

“Now don’t sit down there and 
think about it,” advised Johnny, 
going back to her. “If we really 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 41 

mean to go, we can’t find a better 
day.” 

“What a reckless disposition!” 
laughed Fleetfoot. “If you always 
decide matters as quickly as this, I 
should think you would have been 
caught months ago. But run along, 
and I will follow you. I really want 
to see that wonderful Ridge, and the 
hole where you hid during the Sand- 
Storm.” 

With that, they hurried away, 
starting and shying at the swaying 
branches. They even amused them- 
selves racing across bleak stretches 
of tan colored grass, and scattering 
flocks of Sparrows. 

“Johnny, do stop!” called Fleetfoot. 
“Here are some mesquite beans.” 


42 


JOURNEYS OF 


“Delicious!” murmured Johnny, 
nibbling- busily at the largest one he 
could find. 

“This cool wind makes me as hun- 
gry as a Hawk,” remarked Fleetfoot, 
selecting a fine bean. 

“Or a Buzzard!” suggested Johnny, 
slyly. 

“Bah!” Fleetfoot dropped the bean 
she was eating, and fied. 

Farther on, Johnny called: “Oh, 
Fleetfoot! Right here, under this 
bush, is where I lay half asleep when 
Slippery stole upon me. If Mrs. 
Horned Toad had not awakened me, 
when she saw him and ran for cover, 
all would have been over for Johnny 
Jackrabbit.” 

“Come, Johnny, don’t be so solemn! 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 43 

Slippery didn’t catch you; so what’s 
the use of thinking about what he 
might have done? I’d like to see the 
Coyote that can outrun one of us big 
Jackrabbits!” 

“I felt just as you do about being 
able to get away from one Coyote; 
but right over there, is where his 
mate sprang at me from behind the 
bushes. From there on, I had to 
reckon with two Coyotes; and, if it 
hadn’t been for the Storm, I am not 
at all sure but they would have 
caught me.^’ 

“I thought this was to be a pleasure 
trip,” complained Fleetfoot. “If you 
don’t stop being so doleful, I’ll go 
home.” 

Johnny looked at his companion 


44 


JOURNEYS OF 


and laughed merrily. “You are 
right, Fleetfoot! Come! I’ll race you 
to that little bush!” And away they 
ran. 

A twig snapped! The Jackrabbits 
stopped suddenly; and once more life 
was serious — even for Fleetfoot. 
Crouching low, they saw Shadow the 
Gray Fox slipping away under the 
brush, with a Bird in his mouth. 

“I hope he didn’t see us!” whispered 
Johnny. “Let’s make for the Ridge.” 

A few high jumps showed them 
Rocky Ridge not far away; and, with- 
out seeing Shadow again, they 
reached the Ridge, and climbed up to 
the hole in the rocks. 

Late in the afternoon, when the 
soft “hoo-hoo'-hoo-hoo'-hoo” of the 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 45 

White Wing Dove came up from the 
trees, and the “coo'-coo-coo” of the 
Sonora Dove floated across the Low- 
land, Johnny and Fleetfoot hopped 
down from the Ridge, and started 
cautiously toward the tall trees. 

Back on the Mesa, there were many 
tall cacti; but the mesquite, palo 
verde, and other bushes were small 
and twisted. Down on the Lowland, 
there were fewer and smaller cacti; 
but the mesquite and palo verde 
trees were large, and beyond them 
was the River, with tall desert wil- 
lows and a straggling line of cotton- 
wood trees on each bank. 

Being on strange ground, the Jack- 
rabbits hopped cautiously along, and 
entered the willows. Their Keen 


46 


JOURNEYS OF 


noses scented water long before they 
reached the bank of the River. 

They paused under a tall cotton- 
wood tree at the edge of the high 
bank, and looked down upon a nar- 
row stream. The water flowed slowly, 
close to the foot of the bank; and a 
broad, sandy, rock-strewn River Bed 
stretched away to the opposite bank. 
Logs and piles of small driftwood lay 
scattered along a line high up on each 
bank, showing that, in time of floods, 
that little stream became a mighty 
River. 

It was an easy matter to And a foot- 
ing down the bank to the grass that 
grew in bunches near the water; and 
the Rabbits sat nibbling the long 
blades when — thud! thud! thud! 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 47 

“Cottontail!” exclaimed Fleetfoot, 
sitting as still as the little stump be- 
side her. 

“Coming this way!” whispered 
Johnny, rigid except for his bright, 
round eyes. 

Sure enough! With two bounds, a 
Cottontail Rabbit landed between 
them at the bottom of the bank; and 
right behind her came Shadow the 
Gray Fox! 

Shadow was smiling at the thought 
of the good meal he felt sure he would 
soon have when, almost under his 
nose, up sprang two Jackrabbits. 
Counting on one fat Cottontail, the 
sudden appearance of two big Jack- 
rabbits confused him for a second. 
Trying vainly to dash in three direc- 


48 


JOURNEYS OF 


tions at the same time, he plunged 
into the shallow stream; and, when 
he looked back, not a Rabbit was in 
sight. 

Under strange bushes, where dark- 
ness had begun to settle, and where 
danger might be lurking behind any 
rock or dead branch, Johnny Jack- 
rabbit hurried away as fast as he 
could, with but one thought in his 
head: “If I can ever again get out into 
the open!” 

When he had got out of the trees, 
he sat up to draw a long breath and 
look about. “I wonder where Fleet- 
foot is. ril just wait here for a while, 
and she may come along. It is too 
bad to have our evening spoiled this 
way.” 



He hurried away as fast as he could 


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JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 49 

Eagerly, Johnny scanned every ob- 
ject in sight. Nothing was too large 
or too small to attract his sharp eyes. 
Everything proved to be just what it, 
at first, appeared to be, except one. 
Just at a glance, he thought that 
it looked like an old stump in the 
shadow of a tall cactus; but the more 
he studied it the less it looked like a 
stump. “Why, I do believe it is a Rab- 
bit,” thought Johnny. 

He shifted his long ears and 
watched. The old stump moved two 
long splinters that stuck up above it. 
Then Johnny lost no time in going to 
the cactus, where he found a strange 
Jackrabbit. She proved to be a dis- 
tant relative whose Ancestors had; 
chosen to make their home on the low: 


50 


JOURNEYS OF 


part of the Desert; and Happy, — ^for 
that was her name, — had never spent 
a day far from the River. 

When Johnny told her about the 
Fox that had almost caught him, 
Happy said, “That Fox appeared here 
one evening a short time ago; and, 
since then, I have had to sleep and 
live most of the time out here on the 
Plain, where I can see him before he 
can get near me. Until he came here, 
there was not another place that 
could equal this part of the Desert.” 

Johnny greatly admired his new 
acquaintance. She was so bright and 
cheerful that he thought she had 
been well named; and Happy secretly 
thought Johnny Jackrabbit was very 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 51 

handsome. He was large and strong, 
and he had the longest ears of any 
Jackrabbit she knew. When they 
parted, Johnny promised to make an- 
other journey to the River when he 
could remain longer, and then Happy 
could show him all of her favorite 
haunts. 

Although he waited in the neigh- 
borhood until almost morning, 
Johnny did not again see Fleetfoot. 
Finally he hurried back to the Mesa, 
looking anxiously about for her as he 
went. 

“I’m afraid Shadow the Gray Fox 
caught her,” he kept thinking. 

As he neared the place where they 
came upon the Buzzards the day be- 


S2 


JOURNEYS OP 


fore, he thought he saw a Rabbit’ 
through the low bushes; and, hurry- 
ing faster, he was soon looking into 
Fleetfoot’s happy face. 

“I’m so glad you got back safely!” 
she cried. 

“And I’m glad Shadow didn’t catch 
you,” he answered; “but, since he 
spoiled our trip, we must go down 
there again.” 

“Why, Johnny Jackrabbit!” cried 
Fleetfoot. “I wouldn’t go back to 
that horrid place for anything in the 
world. After this, I shall stay on the 
Mesa.” 

“Do as you like,” answered Johnny, 
very much displeased; “but I shall go 
back there again, I can tell you! Good 
day!” 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


53 


Away sped Johnny, in a huff, with- 
out one backward glance. 

“Who cares?” said Fleetfoot, kick- 
ing up her heels. 


CHAPTER IV 

THE TERRIBLE WEASEL 

‘T DO wish something exciting 
would happen,” sighed Johnny Jack- 
rabbit. “Why, I haven’t had a real 
adventure for a week! I believe I’d 
even enjoy meeting Whiskers the 
Bob Cat again, and getting another 
good scare; for there’s nothing that 
can wake up a Jackrabbit like a long, 
fast run.” 

Johnny was loafing along in that 
frame of mind one lovely afternoon 
when he heard some one call his 
name. He paused and listened, and 
very soon, he heard the voice again: 

“Johnny Jackrabbit! Oh, Johnny 
Jackrabbit!” 


54 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 65 

“Now, who on this wide Desert can 
be calling me?” thought Johnny. He 
sat up quickly and waited for the 
voice to call again. 

“Johnny Jackrabbit, don’t you carei 
to see an old friend?” 

“Why, Jolly Squirrel!” cried 
Johnny delightedly. “Who would 
have dreamed of seeing you a good 
mile from Squirrel Knoll? Where’s 
Speedy; and what are you doing 
here?” 

Jolly sat up very straight, and 
looked into his friend’s face. He 
looked at Johnny closely for some 
time before he spoke; and then what 
he said did not seem to be an answer 
to Johnny’s questions. 

“Haven’t you seen Knocker the 


56 


JOURNEYS OF 


Gila Woodpecker anywhere lately?” 
he asked. 

“Knocker the Gila Woodpecker!” 
cried Johnny. “No; I don’t remember 
that I have— at least, not very lately. 
What has seeing Knocker got to do 
with finding you away up here almost 
at the foot of the Mountains, and a 
good mile from Squirrel Knoll?” 

“Well, now, when you put it that 
way, I suppose it does sound queer,” 
admitted Jolly, smiling. “But I 
thought, if you had seen Knocker, 
you must have heard about how I 
came to move away from Squirrel 
Knoll.” 

“Well, do hurry and tell me about 
it,” urged Johnny. “I haven’t seen 
Knocker; and, after talking to you 


JOHNNY JAGKRABBIT 57 

all this time, I haven’t learned a 
thing, except that you have moved 
somewhere. Do hurry! When did 
you move? Why did you move? 
Where do you live? And is Speedy 
alive or dead?” 

“I’ll try to answer all of those ques- 
tions; but are you sure that’s all you 
want to know?” laughed Jolly. 
“Speedy is alive, and as well as ever, 
and can run even faster than she used 
to. We live over there on another 
Knoll. See it? Come along, and I’ll 
show you.” 

Away sped Jolly Squirrel; and 
Johnny Jackrabbit had to hop quickly 
to keep him in sight. They dashed 
out of the low bushes, and hurried up 
a rough little Knoll, to where Speedy 


58 


JOURNEYS OF 


Squirrel sat before an open door, 
smiling happily. 

“You see I did overtake him,” cried 
Jolly, proudly. 

“I see you did,” admitted Speedy. 
Then, turning to their big friend, she 
said: 

“We were sitting here looking 
across to a Sparrow’s old home in that 
palo verde when we saw a big Rabbit 
cross the clear space beyond. Jolly 
said, ‘As sure’s I’m a Squirrel, there 
goes Johnny Jackrabbit!’ And I said, 
‘I do believe that’s Johnny! I’ll hurry 
and overtake him.’ But Jolly said, 
‘You stay right here, Madam. I saw 
him first, and I’m going to be the one 
to show him that a Squirrel can over- 
take a Jackrabbit.’ ” 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


59 


“She didn’t think I could do it,” 
chuckled Jolly. 

“Queer I didn’t hear you running,” 
said Johnny. 

“You are not as careful as you 
usually are, friend Johnny,” said 
Speedy. “It worried me to see that 
you were not watching for danger.” 

Thus, they chatted for some time 
until Jolly remarked: “Now tell us, 
don’t you like this Knoll much better 
than the other one? Sit over here. 
You thought the view from the old 
Knoll was worth having. What do 
you think of that?” 

“Wonderful! Wonderful!” said 
Johnny, looking down across the 
Mesa. 

The new Knoll was almost at the 


60 


JOURNEYS OF 


foot of one of the low Mountains; 
and the Mesa sloped away, in a great 
broad sweep of gray and green, to 
the River and distant Rocky Ridge on 
the east and southeast, to Rocky 
Buttes on the south, and to the 
dry River Bed on the west. Then 
Johnny turned, and gazed up, up, and 
up the rugged Mountains north of 
them. 

“Wonderful!” he repeated again. 
“But you haven’t told me why you 
moved here.” 

“Didn’t Jolly tell you?” cried 
Speedy in surprise. 

“Not a word,” answered Johnny. 

“Oh, Johnny, such a fright as we 
have had!” began Speedy at once. 
“Everything was lovely one after- 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 61 

noon, and we were racing across to 
call on one of our Children, who had 
set up housekeeping near by. I re- 
member just how everything looked, 

^ — even to the way the shadows fell 
across the path. 

“Before we reached our Son's 
home, we saw several neighbors 
gathered about his door, and heard 
their excited voices. When we ran 
up to them, they turned on us, and all 
began to talk at once.” 

“Each tried to talk louder than any 
of the rest,” interrupted Jolly, “and 
it was some time before we could un- 
derstand a word.” 

“At last. Jolly made them stop,” 
continued Speedy. “Then he let one 
of them talk at a time, and we soon 


62 


JOURNEYS OF 


learned that a Weasel, — one of the 
most terrible Creatures that live, — ^ 
had been seen coming our way from 
the old River Bed.” 

“A Weasel!” cried Johnny in alarm, 
“I have never seen a Weasel; but of 
course I’ve heard how awful they 
are.” 

“Yes, they are the most awful Ani- 
mals I know of, and all that we 
Ground Squirrels could do was to run 
away and leave our homes before 
that Weasel found us. Jolly and I 
didn’t go back to old Squirrel Knoll 
again. We were too frightened even 
to want to go back. We just started 
along a path, and ran, and ran until 
we were very tired. Then we began 
to realize that we must make a nevz 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 63 

home, and we started to look for a 
suitable place for one. We had just 
decided to begin to dig down near 
that palo verde when we found that 
one of Pirate’s relatives lives in the 
tall tree almost beside it. 

“Well, we just ran on, and it 
seemed that, wherever we stopped, 
something was lacking, — until we 
came to this Knoll.” 

“I’m going right down toward the 
old Squirrel Knoll, and see if I can 
see that Weasel,” announced Johnny, 
when Speedy stopped talking. 

“Don’t you do it!” screamed the 
Squirrels, jumping up and down in 
their excitement. “He’ll kill you; I’m 
sure he’ll kill you!” 

But Johnny only laughed as he 


64 


JOURNEYS OF 


turned away, saying over his shoul- 
der: “Mr. Weasel can’t hurt me as 
long as I’m awake and looking for 
,him. If I see him, I’ll come back and 
tell you all about it.” 

Away sped Johnny Jackrabbit. 
Half-way to Squirrel Knoll, he saw a 
pair of White Wing Doves, sitting 
sadly on a low branch. “Poor little 
Doves!” cried Johnny, hurrying up to 
the bush where they sat close to- 
gether, with their heads bowed in 
sorrow. “Why are you weeping? 
Dan I do anything to help you?” 

“Hoo-hoo'-hoo-hoo'-hoo,” wailed 
Mr. and Mrs. White Wing Dove. “You 
are very kind, Johnny Jackrabbit; 
but you can not bring back our Chil- 
dren. The terrible Weasel that hasi 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 65 

recently come to the Mesa, crept into 
our nest, and killed both of our little 
ones/’ 

Johnny wished he could be of help 
to his friends; but, since there was 
little that he could say to comfort the 
gray-clad mourners, he hurried on, 
keeping every sense alert. 

“Ah-ha!” he murmured, stopping 
suddenly beside the dark trunk of a 
bush that grew near the edge of old 
Squirrel Knoll. Shivers ran up and 
down his spine while he watched a 
long, slender Animal, farther around 
the Knoll. Its head was small; and 
its body was long and slim; and when 
Johnny first saw it, it was sitting up 
on its hind legs, looking off in the dis- 
tance toward the Squirrels’ old home. 


66 


JOURNEYS OF 


“That’s the Weasel!” thought 
Johnny, without daring to move a 
muscle. 

As it sat there, Johnny saw that its 
throat and all the under parts of its 
body were white. Then it dropped 
silently to the ground, and began to 
jump swiftly and noiselessly across 
to the door; and Johnny noticed that 
its head, back, and sides were red- 
brown, and that its eyes were black 
and fierce looking. How swiftly it 
sprang along on its short legs! It 
was not the legs, body, or head of that 
swift-moving Animal that struck ter- 
ror to Johnny’s heart. It was partly 
the stealthy swiftness of every mo- 
tion; but, most of all, the hard wicked 
eyes. 


JOHNNY JACKEABBIT 67 

Half-way up the slope to the Knoll, 
Mr. Weasel paused, and fixed his gaze 
on the door to the Ground Squirrels’ 
old home. While he sat there, the 
wind carried his scent to Johnny; and 
it was so strong and sickening that 
Johnny almost choked. In a few min- 
utes, Mr. Weasel had entered the 
door, and was lost to sight. Johnny 
hardly breathed while he waited un- 
der the bush, knowing that, since no 
one lived in the old home, Mr. Weasel 
would soon come out. Still, there was 
a chance that he would keep on, and 
come out of one of the other doors. 

Mr. Weasel ran quite a way along 
the main hall before he noticed that 
all was quiet; then he found that the 
footprints had been made days be- 


68 


JOURNEYS OP 


fore. In disgust, he turned, and 
glided up the hall, and out on the 
door-step. 

Being a fearless, cruel Animal, that 
Weasel did not seem to dream of dan- 
ger to himself, and took two jumps 
away from the door. There he 
stopped, and looked about, as though 
he was trying to decide which way to 
go to find another Squirrel home. 

Johnny, sitting beside the tree 
trunk, with every muscle tense, saw 
a shadow sweep across a bush, and 
before he could even gasp, a great 
Hawk, — one of Pirate’s many Chil- 
dren, — swooped down, and clutched 
the Weasel in his great talons. 

If that young Hawk thought he was 
picking, up a Squirrel at its very door, 


JOHNNY JACKKABBIT 69 

he soon saw his mistake. Fortunate- 
ly for Mr. Hawk, his talons had 
caught the Weasel by the back of the 
head; and, wiggle and squirm as hard 
as he could, Mr. Weasel could not 
turn so as to fasten his jaws into Ms 
Enemy’s flesh. But he did twist his 
lithe body upward until the claws of 
his back feet tore away bunches of 
feathers. 

The Hawk, in surprise and pain, 
began to fly higher; but another and 
another dreadful scratch from the 
Weasel’s claws made him decide that 
he had hold of the wrong sort of 
Squirrel. So He quickly loosened his. 
hold and, dropping the Weasel, hur- 
riedly flapped away. 

When Johnny saw Mr. Weasel fall- 


70 


JOUENEYS OF 


ing, and realized that the Terrible 
Foe to the little Desert People had not 
been carried away after all, he sank 
weakly to the ground, and lay there 
for some time without moving. 
Finally he sat up, and looked toward 
a clump of cholla cacti that grew not 
far from Squirrel Knoll. 

“It isn’t possible! It is! No, it 
isn’t! Yes, it is!” he gasped. He sat 
still and gazed with bulging eyes, at 
an object in the top of a tall cholla. 
Finally he drew a deep breath, kicked 
up his heels, and hopped closer to the 
cacti. 

“Well, Mr. Weasel,” he cried, 
“you’ll never kill another Ground 
Squirrel!” 

And, sure enough, in his fall, the 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 71 

Weasel had struck in the top of a 
cholla cactus, and had been killed by 
the long, cruel thorns. 

“I’m so glad I came! When I was 
wishing for something exciting to 
happen, I never thought of anything 
like this!” thought Johnny. “How 
thankful Jolly and Speedy will be that 
the terrible Weasel no longer roams 
the Mesa. I must go right up to the 
new Knoll and tell them.” 

Johnny raced merrily along 
through the bushes, telling the good 
news to every one he met; and before 
bed-time every Bird and Animal was 
singing: “The Weasel is dead! The 
Weasel is dead!” 


CHAPTER V 

THE JOURNEY TO THE LOWLAND 

A FEW days after the death of Mr. 
Weasel, Johnny Jackrabbit recalled 
his promise to return to the beautiful 
low country along the River. He had 
spent the hot hours of the day in one 
of his favorite “forms” in a bunch of 
tall dry grass in the shade of a 
spreading mesquite tree. To be sure 
it was late in the Fall; but even at 
that time of the year the hours of 
midday — ^when the sky is cloudless — 
are very warm, and the shade of even 
a tiny bush is welcome. 

A slight shifting of the lazy breeze 
had awakened Johnny, and, after 

72 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 73 

looking, smelling, and listening care- 
fully, — as any wise Jackrabbit would 
do,— to make sure that no Enemy was 
near, he stretched his long legs, and 
hopped out of the grass. Then he sat 
down on the bare ground to think 
what to do next. 

“I really believe this is as good a 
time as any for my trip back to the 
River,” he meditated. “Everything 
seems to be going along as well as 
usual; and I think I can be spared for 
a few days.” 

Thus, true to his promise to Happy 
Jackrabbit, he started at a brisk rate 
toward the southeast, and Rocky 
Ridge, that could be seen, dim and 
blue in the distance. He was not out 
of sight of the tall mesquite tree be- 


74 


JOURNEYS OF 


fore Fay Verdin darted down to the 
bunch of grass where Johnny had 
taken his nap. 

“This is worth waiting for,” cried 
Fay Verdin, swinging on the stiff 
grass, and bobbing her dainty, yellow 
head. “I thought he would never 
wake up, — ^though how he could sleep 
when I was singing as loud as I could, 
is a mystery to me. This fur is just 
what I need to line my winter nest.” 

Down darted little Fay into the 
“form,” and away she flew with a few 
hairs that Johnny Jackrabbit had 
shed. Away to the top of a tall mes- 
quite tree she hurried, — a gray little 
Creature with a greenish crest, and 
head and neck a clear orange color. 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 75 

Mr. and Mrs. Wren and, in fact, 
most of the Desert Birds, made a 
great deal of fun of Fay Verdin for 
sleeping in her nest the year around. 
They always abandoned their nests 
as soon as their Children were old 
enough to take care of themselves. 
Not so Fay Verdin ! She made a nest, 
and in it she laid four to six very tiny 
bluish eggs that had a few brown 
speckles scattered over them. She 
hatched the eggs, and brought up her 
Children with great care; but she 
never abandoned her nest for good, 
unless it was badly worn out. Some- 
times a nest that had been used all 
Summer needed only a few repairs to 
make it a good bedroom for Winter. 


76 


JOURNEYS OF 


But often an entire new nest had to 
be built; and then Fay would set to 
work gathering tiny sticks, down 
from weeds, and any other material 
that suited her fancy. 

When the nights were cold and 
stormy, she nestled close in her little 
room, where not even the rain could 
disturb her; because she made her 
nest quite round, and entered it 
through a small hole in the side. Cozy 
and warm, she slept while the wind 
rocked the trees, and all the other 
Birds, who had laughed at her, were 
huddled under roots, in grass, or on 
partly protected branches. 

That afternoon, while Fay was hur- 
rying back and forth from the Rab- 
bit “form” to her new nest, a family 



Fay Verdin and her home 


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JOHNNY JACKKABBIT 


77 


of Quail came to pick up some seeds 
near by. 

“5Vhy do you work so hard?" asked 
Mr. Quail, standing with his pretty 
head tilted to one side. “Do you know, 
Fay Verdin," he continued, “I believe 
the reason for your being so tiny is, 
that you work too hard." 

“I’m sure it is,” spoke up one of the 
young Quail. “She is the smallest 
Bird on the Mesa; and, see, not even 
her tail has grown out as it should. 
It’s a lot shorter than her wings.” 

Then Fay Verdin did stop working! 
She dropped a tuft of Johnny Jack- 
rabbit’s fur, and flew to a bough 
above the Quail family, and fairly 
shrieked at them. 

“Why do I work?" she screamed, al- 


78 


JOURNEYS OF 


most tipping off of the branch. “Why 
do I work? Because I am not shift- 
less and lazy like the rest of you, and 
because I want a safe place in which 
to sleep at night; but all of you other 
Birds, after hurrying and scurrying 
about before dark, go to bed wonder- 
ing if the Foxes or Coyotes will find 
you before morning. When I cuddle 
down in my nest, I am safe; but 
you — ’’ 

Away fled the whole family of 
Quail, ducking their heads as they 
ran, just as if the words, which fell 
thick and fast, were a shower of peb- 
bles aimed at them. 

“There!” scolded tiny Fay Verdin, 
hastening down to pick up the tuft 
of Johnny Jackrabbit’s fur that she 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 79 

had dropped, “that is the way they all 
run when I begin to talk to them. 
Now tell me,” she cried to the World 
in general, “is there any good reason 
why every Bird on the Desert should 
not build a decent nest, and sleep in 
it every night?” 

While Fay hurried and scolded, 
carrying the soft hairs, and arrang- 
ing them in her nest, Johnny Jack- 
rabbit hopped gaily across the Mesa. 
In and out among the bushes, led the 
well-worn path he chose to follow; 
and, although he often left it, and 
chatted with friends along the way, 
he followed its general direction for 
a great distance. Before dark, he was 
almost at the edge of the Mesa. Then 
he ate enough seeds and mesquite 


80 


JOURNEYS OF 


beans to satisfy his hunger for a little 
while, and sat still, looking curiously 
about him. 

The distant “yap, yap, ya-a!” of a 
Coyote, and the near-by hoot of an 
Owl, who was trying to startle Mice 
into jumping or making a sound, so 
that he could tell where to look for 
them, were the only sounds that 
broke the silence. 

The east grew lighter; and the Co- 
yote voices increased in number, as 
they sang and chattered loud and 
long. 

“This is a beautiful part of the Des- 
ert,” thought Johnny, going carefully 
down the rough bank to the low 
ground. He hurried until he entered 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 81 

the long grass, where he sat quite still 
until the Moon cast her soft light 
across the Desert. 

Sitting there with the moist air ris- 
ing about him, Johnny enjoyed the 
many new and pleasant scents, trying 
to decide which belonged to the tall 
cottonwood trees, which to the wil- 
lows, and which to the many weeds 
growing about him. 

Suddenly he became stiffly erect. A 
sound, — and a strange one, — ^reached 
his ears. “IVe never heard anything 
like that before,” he thought, breath- 
ing quickly. “What can be making 
it?” 

After a few moments of silence, he 
whispered to himself, “There it is 


82 


JOURNEYS OF 


again, and it comes from the trees 
down-stream.” Moments passed, and 
still he kept hearing the new sound. 

“I suppose it would be wiser to turn 
back; but I must know what is mak- 
ing that noise. I’ll be very careful; 
but I really must get nearer.” 

He hopped forward, and stopped to 
listen; hopped again, stopped again; 
and so on, — ^taking one hop then 
listening carefully. In that way, he 
slowly crossed the stretch of grass, 
until he reached the shadow of a tree. 
There he waited a long time. He 
could hear the sound more distinctly; 
but still it puzzled him. 

“What can it be? How I wish the 
scent didn’t blow toward the River 
to-night!” 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 83 

Very, very cautiously, Johnny 
crossed a strip of moonlight, crept 
around a fallen tree, and gained a 
spot where he was much nearer the 
strange sound. Then he took a few 
cautious steps, and sat up with a jerk. 

“What on Earth is that?” he 
gasped. 

The River splashed and gurgled at 
the foot of the bank; and the Moon 
lighted the water and the sand 
stretching away to the opposite bank. 
An Owl flew out of a tree, and disap- 
peared on noiseless wings; and still 
Johnny Jackrabbit remained with 
bulging eyes, watching a brown Ani- 
mal, not fifty feet away, who sat on 
the edge of the bank, — ^that was low 
at that point. He did not sit like a 


84 


JOURNEYS OF 


Mouse, or a Squirrel, or a Rabbit, j^e 
sat there, braced by his very broad, 
flat, hairless tail, and gnawed steadily 
at a slender cottonwood tree. He 
had already made a groove all around 
the tree about a foot from the ground. 

Occasionally, while Johnny sat 
rooted to the spot, the Animal stopped 
working, and listened and looked 
about carefully. Then he shifted his 
position and began again. 

In the bright light, Johnny noticed 
how long and strong the Creature’s 
front teeth were; and that his head 
was curved, his legs were short, and 
his body was heavy. 

“It’s a Beaver! I’m almost sure if 
is. Happy Jackrabbit told me that 
there were a few Beavers in this 






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JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 85 

River, and that she would show me 
one.” 

While he sat watching, the top of 
a tree, beyond the one the Beaver was 
working on, swayed ever so little. 

“Ah-h!” breathed Johnny. “There 
isn’t enough wind to do that. There’s 
Whiskers the Bob Cat! He’s creeping 
farther along that branch; and, if it 
doesn’t break with his weight, he will 
pounce upon that Beaver in another 
minute.” 

Johnny had been too busy watching 
the scene before him to notice that 
just across the stream, on the bright 
sand, another Animal was sitting 
close to an old stump, that lay, with 
roots in the air, where the last flood 
had left it. This was Slippery the Co- 


86 


JOURNEYS OF 


yote, who had crept to the stump un- 
observed, and was sitting there with 
his eyes on the Beaver. The wind, 
blowing from the bank toward the 
sand, could not tell Mr. Beaver that 
any one was across the River; but 
the scent of the Beaver, wafted 
across to Slippery’s keen nostrils, told 
him of an unusually good meal — if he 
could find a way to get it. 

Suddenly, as he sat there scheming 
how best to get between the Beaver 
and the stream. Slippery’s eyes saw 
a bough of a tree sway a little. Then 
he saw Whiskers, creeping along the 
limb. Slippery’s ears twitched, and 
the hair along the back of his neck 
stood up stiffly. 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 87 

“Well, Mr. Whiskers,” he muttered, 
“if I can’t have that Beaver, neither 
can you.” 

It was a strange scene: the Beaver 
working busily at the little tree, all 
unconscious of danger; Whiskers the 
Bob Cat creeping grimly along the 
limb, his cruel eyes measuring the dis- 
tance to the busy Animal below him; 
Johnny Jackrabbit, rigid with horror, 
watching Whiskers, who was almost 
ready to spring; and across the 
stream, seen by none of the others, 
sat the quiet Slippery, smiling at 
some sly thought of his own. 

All seemed to be going well for 
Whiskers. The Beaver had just 
stopped to listen, and, hearing noth- 


88 


JOURNEYS OF 


ing, had moved around to the side of 
the tree nearest to Whiskers, when 
the air was rent by the most startling 
“yaps” and howls. 

Almost quicker than thought, the 
whole scene changed, — ^just as Slip- 
pery had meant that it should. The 
Beaver had not looked like a quick- 
moving Animal, but those sounds had 
hardly reached his ears before he 
jumped, slipped down the bank, and 
was in the water. Whiskers, who was 
noted for his quick movements, half 
arose, looking bewildered until his 
ears traced the sounds. Then his eyes 
glared across the Eiver at Slippery 
the Coyote. 

That Coyote’s mouth seemed to 
open from ear to ear in a grin; while 


JOHNNY JACKKABBIT 89 

out of it came a confusion of jeering, 
chattering sounds, that made the Bob 
Cat furious. 

Before Slippery’s taunts had died 
on the night breeze. Whiskers, stand- 
ing on the bough where he had so 
lately crouched, with his stub tail 
twitching, and his evil eyes gleaming, 
opened his mouth, and sent out a vol- 
ley of fierce “yowls” that struck ter- 
ror to the heart of every Creature 
that heard him. 

Johnny Jackrabbit was so fright- 
ened that he could not have moved 
to save his life, and even Slippery the 
Coyote got up and loped away with 
more haste than usual; but, as he ran, 
he kept smiling back over his shoul- 
der. 


90 


JOURNEYS OF 


For a while after the Beaver had 
vanished, and Slippery had crossed 
the sand and entered the trees on the 
opposite bank, Whiskers stood on the 
bough, growling. Then he sprang 
lightly to the ground, and hurried 
over to the tree where the Beaver had 
been working. 

The fresh scent of the Beaver made 
Whiskers frantic. He sprang to the 
edge of the bank, and looked down 
into the water. Seeing nothing there, 
he returned to the little cottonwood, 
sniffed at the groove the Beaver had 
gnawed, and sprang back to look into 
the stream again. Then he stood on 
the bank, and again gave forth blood- 
curdling “yowls.” 

Poor Johnny Jackrabbit had re- 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 91 

mained, frozen with terror, until 
then; but, with the cries of the Bob 
Cat again ringing in his ears, he 
turned and fairly shot out of the 
shadow of the trees. His long legs 
carried him forward with no appar- 
ent effort. Over fallen limbs, and 
through tall grass he sped like a 
flash; then up the steep bank to the 
Mesa, on and on and on until he 
Anally stopped where the bushes grew 
low and twisted and far apart. 

“What a terrible night!” he gasped, 
looking wildly about. 

For a time Johnny acted as if he 
hoped never again to leave that spot. 
The familiar bleak surroundings 
seemed to soothe him; and gradually 
the haunted look left his eyes; and he 


92 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


settled down in a comfortable posi- 
tion, and began to breathe regularly. 

He sat there an hour without mov- 
ing. Then he got up, stretched, and 
remarked: “I got an awful fright; 
but I shall go there again some day, 
and see Happy Jackrabbit, just as I 
promised her I would.” 


CHAPTER VI 


THE WINTER STORMS 

IT was an unusually bleak, cold 
Winter on the Desert of the Great 
Southwest. For weeks, the snow had 
been falling lower and lower on the 
rugged Mountains to the north of the 
Mesa. It had buried huge rocks and 
trees until, from the Plain, only the 
deepest Canyons could be distin- 
guished. Heavy Storms still raged 
along the Range, and, at times, swept 
out over the Mesa; and an icy wind 
blew down from the Mountains. 

The Desert People felt uneasy, and 
showed it by the nervous way they 
jumped, looked right and left, and 

93 


94 JOURNEYS OF 

darted from cover to cover whenever 
a shrill blast rushed through the 
bushes. 

Not for years had there been such 
Storms. “And then,” said Johnny’s 
Grandmother, “fierce Animals, driven 
down from their homes in the Moun- 
tains, devoured most of the Rabbits, 
Squirrels, and other Desert People.” 

Johnny Jackrabbit shivered while 
she described the tragedies that she 
had witnessed; and told how even the 
large Mountain Animals fought and 
devoured one another. 

This, then, was the cause of the 
feeling that had been growing 
stronger within Johnny, as the cold 
days passed. Something had been 
whispering: “Leave the Mesa! Go far 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 95 

to the south, out on the low, flat part 
of the Desert.” 

Mother Nature has placed that 
Small Voice in the heart of every 
Creature; and blessed is he who lis- 
tens to it, and takes warning: for he 
shall escape many dangers. 

Johnny Jackrabbit hopped about, 
sniffing the air; then sat up on his 
haunches and sniffed again, turning 
his long ears slowly, so that no soupd 
might escape them. When a cold rain 
fell suddenly from a black cloud that 
had been torn from the storm in the 
Mountains, he sought shelter under 
a clump of bushes; and, as soon as the 
shower had passed, he started south- 
ward. 

Having made up his mind to go, it 


96 


JOURNEYS OF 


seemed as though he could not get 
away fast enough; and he bounded 
along as if the Wolves and Mountain 
Lions were after him. In his haste, 
he almost stepped on Cousin Jenny, 
who sat huddled in a bunch of grass. 

“Why such hurry?” inquired Jenny, 
when she had recovered from the 
fright his sudden appearance had 
caused her. 

“I don’t like this cold weather; and 
I am going to get away from the Mesa 
before the snow drives the Mountain 
Animals down upon us,” answered 
Johnny nervously, while the wind 
made a low moan among the bushes. 
“I am sure there are hard times ahead 
for us Jackrabbits.” 

“I wonder,” mused Jenny, “if that 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 97 

accounts for the feeling that has been 
coming over me since the stormy- 
weather began. I keep thinking of 
the sunshine on the Lowland; and this 
wind keeps me in constant te'rror. 
Since you are going; I have half a 
mind to go with you.” 

“Do!” smiled Johnny Jackrabbit, 
well pleased to have a companion oh 
.what had looked to him like a lone- 
some journey. “Let’s make for the 
Ridge, and from there we can follow 
the River as far south as seems best. 
If you are ready, let’s go right away.” 

“I am quite ready,” replied Jenny. 
“I have eaten all I want of this bunch 
grass; and the wind is so cold that I 
shall enjoy a good run.” 

Strange sounds made the Jackrab- 


98 


JOURNEYS OF 


bits watchful during their journey 
that afternoon; but they were able to 
trace every snap of a twig, and every 
moan and shriek, to the wind. Just 
at dusk, Johnny, who was ahead, 
stopped, and, for a few moments, sat 
watching something. When he finally 
stopped looking, Jenny hurried up 
and whispered, “What was it?” 

“A Coyote trotted out and stood 
near that barrel cactus. He seemed 
undecided which way to go; and, for 
a while, I thought he was coming over 
here. Then his mate appeared; and 
they started toward Rocky Buttes.” 

It was dark when the Jackrabbits 
reached Rocky Ridge, and crept into 
the hole where Johnny spent the 
night of the Sand-Storm. 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 99 

“Shall we stop here for the night?” 
asked Jenny, 

“You must do as you think best, 
Cousin. The Moon will be up before 
midnight; and, if it isn’t too cloudy, 
I shall go on down the River.” 

At first, Jenny thought she would 
stay near Rocky Ridge, so she could 
hide in the hole if anything should 
frighten her; but, when Johnny dis- 
appeared among the trees, she hur- 
ried to overtake him. 

The Moon tried her best to shine as 
usual for the Desert World; but she 
was able to get only an occasional 
peep through the clouds. Whenever 
the Moon was hidden, the Rabbits sat 
close to a bush or a stone, and waited; 
and, as soon as the clouds passed, they 


100 


JOURNEYS OF 


hopped along in the cold bright moon- 
light. 

Once, Shadow the Gray Fox chased 
them half a mile; but they finally got 
rid of him, and raced straight out 
upon the plain that stretched far to 
the south. 

They were sitting on a little knoll, 
bare except for a single cactus, when 
the wind brought a wild cry, unlike 
any sound made by any Desert Ani- 
mal. Every Creature that heard that 
wild scream stopped and trembled. 

Quick as a fiash, Johnny remem- 
bered the words used by his Grand- 
mother, when she told him of that cold 
Winter long ago. Grandmother Jack- 
rabbit had said: “The terrible scream 
of Puma the Mountain Lion froze our 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 101 

blood whenever it rang out at night 
across the broad Mesa.” Then she 
added, “Johnny, if you ever hear 
Puma, you will not need to ask who 
made that fearful cry.” 

Now, as the sound died on the night 
wind, Johnny knew that he, too, had 
heard the terrible Mountain Lion. At 
first he was too frightened to move; 
but, after several moments of silence, 
he looked cautiously about him. 

The shadows seemed to have grown 
blacker, and the wind so piercing that 
Johnny shook all over. Even the 
brush and cacti no longer looked fa- 
miliar, but took on strange and fear- 
ful forms; and, in a panic, he and 
Jenny fied toward a spur of Rocky 
Ridge. 


102 


JOURNEYS OF 


After a hasty search for a shelter, 
they crawled into a big pile of stones. 
“I thought,” gasped Jenny, when they 
were safely in the pile, “I thought you 
were going south upon the open Des- 
ert.” 

“Well, Fm not!” snapped Johnny 
Jackrabbit, catching his breath. 
“Why, Jenny! When Puma screamed, 
something just swept me back to the 
Ridge. I didn’t stop to think; and I 
don’t remember feeling the ground 
beneath my feet while I was run- 
ning.” 

Puma did not scream again that 
night; but there was no sleep for the 
Jackrabbits. They had found a safe 
place, and were protected from the 
wind; but, from time to time, strange 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 103 

sounds and queer voices kept them 
awake. 

“Another cloudy day!” finally said 
Jenny, from an opening in the stone 
pile. “Let’s slip out early, and see if 
there is anything about here fit for a 
Jackrabbit to eat.” 

“Wait! I hear heavy footsteps!” 
warned Johnny. 

Around a point of rock, came four 
beautiful Deer. The leader, a large 
Buck, marched with a proud step. 
Pausing every few paces he tossed 
his head high and looked carefully 
about. Three Does followed close be- 
hind him, showing by their timid 
manner that they were treading 
strange ground. 

Jenny looked at them with keen 


104 JOURNEYS OF 

disapproval. “Oh!” she exclaimed, 
“they are eating- that bunch of grass! 
I had just noticed it, and was going 
to have some of it for breakfast.” 

“There they go!” cried Johnny. 
Sure enough, after nervously snatch- 
ing a bite here and there, the Buck 
stamped his dainty feet, flung his 
head, sprang away over the rocks and 
disappeared, the Does at his heels. 

Later that morning. Slippery the 
Coyote came loping along close to the 
Ridge, and sniffed at the big stone 
pile where the Jackrabbits were hid- 
ing. Although he must have scented 
them, he did not seem to be interested 
in Jackrabbits; arid, for a while, he 
stood looking over his shoulder 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 105 

toward the River; then he turned 
away and disappeared on the Desert. 

“Slippery looked worried,” com- 
mented Johnny, when they could no 
longer distinguish his gray form 
among the brush. “You may be sure 
he is trying to keep out of the way of 
some one he is afraid of. Now, who 
can it be?” 

As the hours passed, and no one 
else came near that pile of stones, 
Johnny grew bold enough to climb up 
on the Ridge to a low point, where a 
twisted old mesquite tree had tried 
for years to grow in the scanty soil 
between the rocks. There Johnny sat 
and nibbled the dry mesquite beans, 
and watched a beautiful Bluebird flit 


106 


JOUKNEYS OF 


in and out among the branches, and 
then fly over to a point of rock and 
disappear toward the River. 

A Bird in bright feathers attracts 
great attention among the gray-clad 
Creatures of the Desert; and Johnny 
heard a flock of Sparrows discussing 
the Bluebird and its appearance. 

“Very bad form!” cried one. 

“It will show the dust dreadfully,” 
chirped another. 

“And blue always fades in the 
bright sunlight,” added a third, 
straightening a feather on her breast. 
“I hear that her home is in one of the 
deepest Canyons.” 

“She carried herself with such an 
air!” piped a very small Sparrow. 
“Did you see how she hopped upon 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 107 

that branch where I was sitting, and 
bent it down so far that I had to move 
to another?” 

“Let’s see where she has gone,” 
suggested another; and away flew the 
whole flock of Sparrows. 

The next night was clear; so, when 
the Moon came up, J ohnny and Cousin 
Jenny hurried over the rocks for 
more of the mesquite beans. They 
were enjoying their meal very much; 
because, from where they sat, they 
had a good view of the Ridge, as well 
as the Desert. Suddenly a deep- 
voiced howl broke the stillness ! Both 
Jackrabbits sat up to look and listen; 
but, neither seeing nor hearing any- 
thing to frighten them, they began to 
eat again. 


108 


JOURNEYS OF 


“It isn’t very far back to the rock 
pile,” thought Johnny, nibbling away 
contentedly, “and there isn’t any use 
being so afraid when we have not 
seen any one fiercer than Slippery. I 
shall not run until I have to. This is 
the first chance I’ve had for days to 
eat a good meal, and I’m going to 
have one this time.” 

“Johnny!” gasped Cousin Jenny. 
“Look! Oh, look at what’s coming!” 

Johnny looked up, and, to his hor- 
ror, saw three, no, five, great Wolves 
scrambling down over the rocks. Oh! 
How far it now looked back to the 
pile of stones, and safety! Johnny 
gave a wild leap, came down on the 
slanting side of a rock, and rolled 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 109 

over twice before he gained a foot- 
hold. 

“This won’t do,” he gasped, “Fve 
got to make every jump count.” 

Away he fled, with three of the pack 
at his heels. One more jump would 
bring him down on the level beside 
the rock pile! Could he make it? 
Right out over the last jagged rock 
he sprang; and all three Wolves 
sprang into the air behind him. 

Down they came in a struggling 
pile; but, when the Wolves picked 
themselves up, Johnny was not 
among them. With his breath coming 
quickly, and his eyes very bright, 
Johnny sat far back under the loose 
rocks, and listened while the Wolves 


110 


JOURNEYS OF 


snarled and sniffed their disappoint- 
ment. 

They hated to give up such a large 
Rabbit when, only a moment before, 
they had felt sure they were going to 
have him for supper. They hurried 
around, scratching at the loose rocks, 
but succeeded in moving only a few 
small ones. Then they selected a 
place, and took turns at digging un- 
der the big pile; but even a Wolf could 
not do much digging in that hard, 
rocky soil; so, after working fran- 
tically for half an hour, they gave 
up and climbed slowly back over the 
Ridge. 

When all was quiet again, Johnny 
poked his head out, and looked 
anxiously about. “T wonder where 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 111 

Jenny went, and if those other 
Wolves caught her.” 

The Moon sailed up through the 
clear sky; and Johnny was about to 
venture out once more when he saw 
a big, gray Rabbit moving slowly in 
the shadow, near the foot of the 
Ridge. He drew back and watched 
until, with a bound. Cousin Jenny 
darted across the strip of moonlight, 
and stopped before him. 

Jenny, with two Wolves following 
her, had jumped off of the rocks, and 
had made for the open Desert. She 
had used every trick she knew; but 
she was about to give up all hope 
when, jumping very high, she saw a 
clump of cacti. Straight for that 
clump she raced; and, without paying 


112 


JOURNEYS OF 


any attention to thorns, dashed into 
its midst. Then the Wolves sat down 
about the cacti, and watched and 
waited. After what seemed to Jenny 
to be many long hours, the deep voice 
of their leader called them; and they 
got up and hurried away to join th^ 
rest of the pack. 

‘T shall not go up there to eat an- 
other mesquite bean!” declared 
Jenny. 

“Dry grass will be good enough for 
me — that is, until the Mountain Peo- 
ple leave the Desert,” said Johnny 
gaily. 

That day and those that followed 
were hot enough to please even the 
Desert People; and, before another 
week had passed, the Jackrabbits left 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


113 


the pile of rocks, and wandered south, 
where, sitting in the bright sunshine, 
they speedily forgot the cry of Puma 
the Mountain Lion, and the deep bass 
howl of the fierce Gray Wolves. 


CHAPTER VII 


PLEASANT DAYS ALONG THE RIVER 

JOHNNY JACKRABBIT stayed 
away from the River until he felt sure 
that the strange Animals had become 
tired of the warm weather, and had 
returned to their cool haunts in the 
Mountains. Then he hastened across 
to the willows. 

Following the stream in its wander- 
ing course, he passed many peaceful 
days listening to the hundreds of 
little, gray Birds, who seemed to be 
even happier than usual. 

“Glad they’re gone! Glad they’re 
gone!” said a Shrike. 

“Me too! Me too!” twittered a little 


114 


JOHNNY JAGKRABBIT 115 

Rock Wren near by. She seemed to 
think, from the Shrike’s mild tones, 
that his heart had been softened; but 
her sweet, little voice stopped sud- 
denly, and she darted through the 
bushes and hid under an old log just 
in time to escape him. 

The Shrike hopped up and down on 
the log, and scolded loud and long 
until he spied a Beetle. Then he 
speedily forgot the Rock Wren, and 
darted after the slow-moving Bug; 
and, having swallowed it, he flew 
away over the tree-tops. Before he 
was out of sight. Miss Wren was 
swinging on a low bough, singing her 
loudest-“Go it! Go it! Go it!” 

Chuckling to himself, Johnny 
turned away from the little comedy, 


116 


JOURNEYS OF 


and, seeing a bunch of fine grass, 
hurried to get it while he thought no 
one was looking. But, before he had 
quite reached the grass, a perfectly 
groomed Bird, sitting on an old 
stump, was watching him curiously. 
Johnny had taken just one dainty 
nibble, when he started back, and was 
about to take to his heels. 

“What you got there?’^ demanded 
Jet, the big shiny black Crow, alight- 
ing near by, and marching forward 
with a decided step. “Give it to me!” 
He snatched the blade of grass out of 
Johnny’s mouth, and swallowed it 
quickly. Then, with his head tilted to 
one side, he eyed Johnny sharply. 
“What right have you to the best 
grass along the River?” he demanded. 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


117 


“Who are you anyway?” Snap! And 
he snatched another blade. “You 
shall not eat here, so now!” he scolded, 
hopping up to flutter down on John- 
ny’s other side. “Give me that one!” 
Away went another blade. 

Johnny Jackrabbit, who dearly 
loved peace, backed away one step 
and then another until Jet, marching 
forward, stood between him and the 
grass he wanted so much. Then, 
without a word, Johnny turned, and 
hopped away under the bushes. 

After watching until he felt sure 
that Johnny would not return, Jet 
flapped to a high branch, where he 
stood long enough to arrange two 
feathers that had been brushed by the 
grass. Then, with a short, harsh 


118 


JOURNEYS OF 


laugh, he flew away to a high point on 
Rocky Ridge. 

“Hateful, conceited Creature!” 
thought Johnny, with a sniff. “I’m 
sure he is welcome to all that grass. 
Any Jackrabbit would rather go hun- 
gry than be seen quarreling with a 
Crow.” 

Still feeling very much disgusted, 
Johnny turned toward the River, 
which he could see through the low 
bushes. He had not taken a dozen 
steps before his eyes brightened, and 
he forgot the greedy Crow. 

He hopped over small rocks, and 
around trees and bushes; then he 
crossed the clean, fine sand, and sat 
down close to the sparkling water. 

The few hot Spring days had al- 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


119 


ready started the leaves on the wil- 
lows; and their fresh green blended 
well with the soft gray bark of the 
cottonwood trees. 

Johnny Jackrabbit had come upon 
one of the most restful and beautiful 
scenes any one can imagine and he 
felt that he was as completely alone 
as he had ever been in all his life. 
Once, a big, yellow Wasp buzzed over 
his head, settled on a stone for a mo- 
ment, and buzzed away. Then every- 
thing became quiet again, except for 
the murmur of the slow-moving 
stream, and the sigh of the wind in 
the trees. 

Johnny, gazing dreamily toward 
the water, gave a start of surprise; 
for, almost across from him, where 


120 JOURNEYS OF 

the stream was shallow, was Misty 
the Blue Heron, intent on fishing. 

When Johnny first made his ap- 
pearance, Misty had but just alighted, 
and was standing still, looking care- 
fully about him. As long as Misty 
stood motionless, the soft blue-gray 
of his feathers blended so perfectly 
with his surroundings that Johnny 
did not see him. When Johnny Jack- 
rabbit came down to the water, the 
Blue Heron watched him closely; 
and, deciding that he was nothing but 
a harmless Jackrabbit, who was 
likely to sit on the sand for some time, 
thought he might as well catch some 
Fish for lunch. 

“Oh, what a beauty!” thought 
Johnny, watching the tall Bird, who 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 121 

was too busy looking for Fish to pay 
any further attention to Johnny Jack- 
rabbit. 

With his neck drawn in and his 
head low, Misty took a few long, care- 
ful steps. Then he stood motionless, 
in water five or six inches deep, and 
peered down at the sandy bottom. A 
moment passed; then another; then 
quick as a fiash his head shot under 
water, and was almost as quickly 
withdrawn. Johnny saw the fiash of 
sunlight on a small Fish when, for an 
instant. Misty held it high. Then a; 
gulp; and the Fish slipped down the 
long slender throat; and the big Bird 
.went on with his fishing 

In that way, he caught five small 
Fish without missing his aim. Then^ 


122 


JOURNEYS OF 


with a satisfied air, he drew himself 
•up to his full height of about three 
feet, and again became interested in 
his surroundings. He inspected the 
bank and the trees; and seemed to be 
half inclined to try to catch a trirn, 
little Lizard that he saw among the 
rocks; but he gave up that plan, and 
let his eyes rest for a moment on 
Johnny Jackrabbit’s interested face. 
Then he tilted his head, and watched 
the stately flight of a Buzzard, far 
above in the clear sky. 

After that, he stood in deep thought 
for a while. Finally he arranged the 
blue-gray plumes on his back, and the 
whitish ones on his breast. That done, 
he spread his great wings, and slowly 
flew up-stream, keeping about on a 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 


123 


level with the tree- tops, and above the 
Jliver. 

After watching the Blue Heron fly 
away, Johnny turned with a sigh, 
hopped back under the trees, and out 
into weeds and new grass. He sat 
there nibbling a blade of grass when 
the Sun became darkened as though 
a cloud was passing over it. He 
looked up in surprise, and saw a flock 
of several hundred Blackbirds set- 
tling around him. They covered the 
ground, swayed on the willows, and 
weighed down the weeds; and all the 
time they were singing their loudest. 
Johnny crouched low, hoping that 
they would soon fly away; but they 
sang on,— each one trying to raise his 
voice higher than the others,— until 


124 


JOURNEYS OF 


Johnny’s ears ached with the noisy 
discord; and he sprang up and fled 
out upon the open Desert, scattering 
the screeching Blackbirds in all di- 
rections. 

Out on a Knoll, where the Sun 
shone his brightest, and a Tarantula 
sat warming his feet, Johnny Jack- 
rabbit paused to shake his ears, and 
look back toward the River. “Such 
an awful noise!” he muttered. “My 
ears ring so I can’t distinguish one 
sound from another.” 

Each keeping an eye on the other, 
Johnny and the Tarantula remained 
on the Knoll in the sunshine until 
Johnny’s nose told him that another 
big Rabbit was near by. Then he 
hurried eagerly up wind, and found 


JOHNNY JAiCKRABBIT 125 

his friend Happy sitting quietly un- 
der a mesquite tree. 

Johnny told her about his latest ad- 
ventures: how the Crow had stolen 
his juicy grass; how the beautiful 
Blue Heron had caught a meal of 
Fish; and how the Blackbirds had 
sung until his ears still rang with the 
noise. 

“I am afraid I shall never hear as 
well as I used to,” lamented Johnny, 
shaking his big ears. 

“Come with me,” suggested Happy, 
“I know where it is always quiet.” 

Johnny gladly followed; and she 
led him to a place on higher ground, 
where the bushes grew many feet 
apart, and the wind had swept spaces 
between them. 


126 JOURNEYS OF 

Johnny looked about, drew a long 
breath, and smiled happily. Softest 
of new grass was growing all over the 
open spaces, and tiny bright flowers 
had sprung up everywhere. After 
the long rains and the days of warm 
sunshine, every desert plant was look- 
ing its gayest; so Johnny poked his 
nose in among the Buttercups, gay 
Lilies, and Lupins, and forgot the 
song of the Blackbirds. 

The hours passed swiftly. The Sun 
went down in a clear sky; and the 
short twilight shaded into darkness 
that, in its turn, gave away to bright 
silvery moonlight. 

There has never been a Jackrabbit 
that could resist the moonlight; so up 
and down the slope raced Johnny and 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 127 

Happy, — frisking, kicking, playing 
leap-frog and hide-and-seek. Then 
they tried to see who could jump the 
highest and the farthest. 

A twig snapped on their right! 

Instantly both Jackrabbits sat as 
though turned to stone. Moments 
passed. No one appeared; and, hear- 
ing no other sound, they sped away 
up the slope, running straight in a 
strip of bright moonlight. They 
hurried over stones and grass until 
finally they reached the bare top of a 
little Ridge. There they sat up and 
looked about, feeling that, with a 
wide, clear space around them, they 
would have the start of any Animal 
that might try to overtake them. 

Another twig snapped! 


128 


JOURNEYS OF 


“Some one is following us!” whis- 
pered Happy. 

“Yes,” answered Johnny, wiggling 
his nose, and turning his long ears to 
find out who was coming up under 
cover of the low bushes,^ — which grew 
to within a dozen yards of the place 
where they were sitting. “Let’s stay 
here and see who it is. I always want 
to know who I am running away 
from.” 

Just then a pretty Animal came out 
of the shadow, and walked straight 
toward them. 

Almost every Desert Animal wears 
some shade of gray. In fact, that 
color was chosen ages ago by the Peo- 
ple of the Great Southwest because it 
blended so perfectly with the ground 


JOHNNY JACKRABBIT 129 

and the vegetation; and it takes a 
very foolish, or a very strong minded 
Person, to wear what is not “the 
style.” 

For that reason, as soon as Johnny 
and Happy Jackrabbit saw the Ani- 
mal, coming steadily up the moonlit 
path, dressed in a neat black suit with 
the whitest of stripes down the back, 
they knew that they were looking at 
a very unusual Person. They sat 
watching him long enough to notice 
his large plume-like tail, carried 
arched over his back; his well-shaped 
head, face, and feet; and that his toes 
were tipped with very long, pointed 
nails. 

“Skunk!” exclaimed Johnny. 

“Skunk!” echoed Happy; and, side 


130 


JOURNEYS OF 


by side, they sped away in the oppo- 
site direction. After running a little 
distance, they circled and, coming 
quietly back, stopped where they 
could watch the newcomer. 

Mr. Skunk showed no surprise or 
disappointment when the Jackrabbits 
fled. He kept on as though he had 
other business than frightening Jack- 
rabbits; and they returned in time to 
see him walk out into the open space, 
and sniff about close to the ground. 

Then he dug into the dry sand, and, 
in a short time, drew up a Lizard that 
had dug itself in when the Sun wias 
yet high, and the sand was warm. 
After the sand had grown cold, the 
Lizard was too stiff to get away. 
Johnny and Happy saw Mr. Skunk 




. Skunk showed no surprise 




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JOHNNY JAiCKRABBIT 131 

dig into the sand in four places, and, 
each time, produce a Lizard that he 
ate with great relish. When he was 
finishing the fourth, Johnny re- 
marked, “No wonder large families 
are the rule on the Desert. I suppose 
that not more than two out of every 
dozen little Lizards live to grow old.’’ 

“It is the same with Jackrabbits,” 
mused Happy, “but since you and I 
have been spared, let’s enjoy our- 
selves and see all the World we can.” 

“Agreed!” cried Johnny. “If you 
have any special place in mind, lead 
on, and we will explore it.” 

They turned and confronted an- 
other Skunk that had come up very 
quietly while they were talking. 
Neither Johnny nor Happy lost any 


132 


JOUENEYS OF 


time in getting away from there. 
Johnny leaped to the right and tum- 
bled over a stone, but kept on going; 
and Happy sprang over a small cac- 
tus to the left. A little later, they met 
on a Knoll in the clear moonlight. 

Often, during the rest of the night, 
they heard the song of Slippery the 
Coyote: for, on such nights, it was 
Slippery’s greatest pleasure to sit on 
some windswept height, and serenade 
the bright-faced Moon. 

When the Moon sank low in the 
.west, Johnny and Happy knew that 
morning was near; and, going down 
near the River, they came to the ruins 
of the Ancient Dwellings that were 
scattered over that part of the Des- 
ert. 


JOHNNY JACKEABBIT 133 

Happy had often visited that place; 
but it was new to Johnny Jackrabbit; 
and he approached it timidly. When 
they entered one of the roofless 
rooms, Johnny was nervous and ready 
to dodge an object that came, on 
noiseless wings, out of the dark shad- 
ows. Happy saw the big Owl too late, 
and had a long scratch on her side to 
show how narrow had been her 
escape. 

After poking their noses into two 
of the rooms, they were glad to hurry 
away, and sit under a greasewood 
near by. 

“Who built that place?” inquired 
Johnny, looking back to where the 
ruins lay, with the last rays of the 
Moon lighting the few broken walls. 


134 


JOURNEYS OF 


that centuries of sunshine, rain, and 
wind had not entirely destroyed. 

“It is a long, long story, Johnny, — 
one of the strangest of the many 
strange stories told on the Desert. 
Some time, when the Moon shines her 
brightest, and the wind does not even 
whisper, we will come here togethef, 
and I will tell you all that I have been 
told about the People who lived here 
when our Ancestors first came over 
the slopes from the East. Slippery 
often comes here on clear nights; and, 
they say — " 

Happy paused, and looked quickly 
into the shadows; and nothing that 
Johnny could say could induce her to 
finish that sentence. 

“It is too late to talk of such 


JOHNNY JAICKRABBIT 135 

things,” she hastily answered. “But, 
if you ever have the luck to see Slip- 
pery sitting before the door of one of 
these Ruins, and hear him raise his 
dismal voice to the Heavens — well, 
Johnny, you will believe, as I do, that 
what they say about Slippery and 
those Ancient People is true.” 

When Happy stopped speaking, 
her voice was little more than a whis- 
per; and Johnny asked no more ques- 
tions. The Moon set; darkness 
changed to dawn; and at last the Sun 
spied Johnny Jackrabbit dozing be- 
neath a pile of driftwood. 


THE END 


In the third volume of the Johnny 
Jackrabbit series, entitled, JOHNNY 
JACKRABBIT AND HIS STRANGE 
NEIGHBORS, you may read of many 
more exciting adventures of our 
friend, Johnny Jackrabbit; of his nar- 
row escape from the Indians, and of 
long and exciting days and nights 
spent near a homestead on the 
Desert. 













